The Battle for Hyrule: The Five Mercenaries
by Lemon-Chicken
Summary: A war in Hyrule in a non gamespecific version of the Zelda universe. Five mercenaries are drafted by the Sacred Army, for a mission which ensures a dark future for each of them.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: My first submitted fanfiction, if it can be called that. In truth, it only occurs in the (a?) Zelda universe, in a Hyrule that belongs to no specific game in the series.

In this Hyrule, a dark sorcerer of unconfirmed identity has gathered the forces of darkness to him and amassed an army. With legions of Moblins, Gerudo, Stalfos, Lizalfos and Zola (River Zora) at his command, he has begun an assault on the strongholds of the races of the light, the Hylians, Gorons, Zora, Deku and Rito. In the face of this unholy allegiance, the reigning Princess Zelda has decided to ignore the words of her advisors. Instead of placing her faith in the arrival of the legendary Hero of Time, she has allied herself with the other races and made preparations for a defence against the new threat to her kingdom.

The true Hero of Time has not manifested himself, but in the defence of their homes and comrades, heroes are rising up in every tribe, in every corner of Northern Hyrule. Those truer in heart and mind enter the ranks of the Sacred Army, and pledged to loyally serve the nations of light. However, those warriors less inclined to give their lives entered the new profession of "Mercenary," soldiers of fortune who would reply to the call of a comrade or nation in need of aid, but just as soon fight who and where they themselves choose.

This particular story centres around a group of such sellswords. Seeing as how my interest lasts, I might write more stories in the same universe but surrounding different characters, or just give up at this one.

Chances are, I'll finish this particular tale. But I'm a fickle raconteur, and my interests may be drawn by some other project before long. Have faith.

The Zelda universe is the creation of Shigeru Miyamoto, and all rights are owned by Nintendo. Probably. The land of Hyrule and its inhabiting species and provinces are in no way my creation.

A hum of gentle, lulling noise hung over the Black Bubble Inn at evening, repose of various mercenaries in shadowed Kakariko Village. The noise could be broken down into myriad tiers of tone: The singsong, lilting tones of the Zoran men and women, sipping reservedly from their hip-flasks or tentatively sampling the Inn's milk or wine. Beneath their voices in terms of timbre were the Hylians, whose notes varied from the deepest grumbles of broad-shouldered brutes to the high-pitched harmony of the milk-sipping maids. Higher than each was the calming, reedy sound of the Deku scrub in the corner, Loprotte, playing his long, slender clarinet with determined tenacity. And of course, beneath all the other inflections and intonations were the bulky Gorons, most of which were huddled in the corner of the low-ceilinged den, sipping on cocktails of molten metals.

One Goron was not sitting with the others of his tribe; Instead, the stony figure sat with a group of four other hired hands, a melange of races in themselves, and drank from a flagon of hot springwater. The man, whose name was Trantus, had skin a shade more reddish than was the norm with his tribe, and myriad shadows were cast by the rumpled stones of his back in the Inn's low lighting. Unlike the others in his group, he sat on the flagstone floor, likely to accommodate for his greater height, and possibly chair-destroying weight. Trantus also seemed to handle his drink with a certain tenderness, as his large hands were chipped and marked as though they had been put to hard work recently. Other than this, though, he conversed with the four that he sat with animatedly, his tone and open demeanour marking them as close companions of his.

In order to follow their conversation, it is necessary to give description to those who currently engaged the Goron's interest. On his direct left sat a Hylian woman, her red hair held back in three tight buns apart from a pair of slender bangs that lay across her cheekbones. Her eyes were a deep green, set in a face whose delicate paleness was in odd juxtaposition with the armour that she wore. She wore a corset of dull grey metal, which matched the thick gauntlets that she wore on each hand and the pair of spike-toed boots on her feet, which joined onto thick greaves of the same metal. Her name was Tahni, and she was, to all intents and purposes, the group's leader. This position clearly did not hold much meaning in the bar's warm familiarity, though, as she appeared to be hastily defending herself from some jibe of the other Hylian's which had left him and the other three in fits of raucous laughter.

This male Hylian, who went by the name of Tilado, currently sat between Tahni and a male Sea Zora on his other side. He wore significantly less armour than the female, garbed instead in a rather simple tunic of green, with a leather guard on his right shoulder and a pair of leather sandals and shin guards on his legs. Leather gauntlets with the same thorn pattern adorned his hands and forearms, although they ended at his knuckles, leaving his pale fingers bare. His hair was a pale green, cut in a center-parted fringe with a pony-tail that lay below his shoulders. His eyes matched it, and his face was a gentle oval, with a sizeable bandage across his left cheek and jaw. It didn't seem to affect him, though, even when the force of his laughter suddenly caused it to be tinged with pink in the centre.

The previously-mentioned male Zora at his left side wore nothing above the wide, blue trousers which covered his legs above the ankle. This exposed the intricate, deep blue tattoo which wound its way up from the right side of his abdomen, over his thick shoulder and upper arm and down to the tips of his fingers. The tattoo was made up of wide spirals and depictions of coral shapes on his body, slowly changing to delicate, thin-lined wave formations as it moved down his arm. The Zora, Jopruin, had very pale, silvery skin, marking him as one born in the deep Zora capital of Corazora Citadel. The tattoo that he bore showed that he was a Spiritualist, an elemental magic-user of their kind, and thus the fins on his forearms lacked the size of a Zora warrior's. Jopruin, although engaged in the conversation as any of the others, seemed to be sitting a tad further back from the circular table, and his deep blue eyes often flitted to take in the petite female Zora at his left, as though to reassure himself of her continued presence.

The Zora girl, Makebu, was the fifth and final member of the group, seated between Jopruin and Trantus at the table. She was also the smallest of the group, standing at just five feet, although at the time she sat on a stool with her elbows on the table, her hands clasped around a wooden cup of some odd, dark red liquid. Her head was broad in the manner of some Zora females, with secondary eyes on the rear tips of her triangular skull. Like her male counterpart, she wore only a single piece of clothing, in her case a waistcoat of shimmering golden scales. Also, from her finlike ears dangled a pair of earrings, both made out of some shimmering red material. Her ulnal fins were a great deal larger than Jopruin's, albeit somewhat frilly and slender-looking.

It was Makebu who, after recovering from her own fit of laughter, looked up to notice the spreading patch of blood on Tilado's face. "Oh, Til', your face is…" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, her hand going to her own cheek in sympathy. The green-haired Hylian looked confused for a moment, before realisation struck and his hand rose to stroke his bandage.

"Huh… I didn't even feel it, that time," he murmured, into the ensuing silence. No-one spoke, although Trantus and Makebu both seemed to be watching Tahni with curiosity and distaste, respectively. Tahni spoke first.

"I'll go and fetch you a potion," she said, a little too loudly, before standing and turning to walk to the bar. Trantus turned back to the table with a small shake of his head, but the small Zora seemed to be even more infuriated by the Hylian woman's action. She had raised a hand, and looked about to shout something when Jopruin leant forwards and placed a hand on her upper arm.

"Don't, love," he advised her, his voice gentle but still audible to the other two. Makebu herself barely paused before leaning back again with a huff, linking her right hand with the Zora male's. Trantus crooked an eyebrow at the exchange, but Tilado seemed the most confused, although he briefly looked away to wipe the pooling blood off of his jaw before it dripped onto his tunic. Shortly, Tahni came back with a curved bottle of bright red liquid, ignored or failed to notice the glare from Makebu and handed the potion to Tilado. He took it gratefully and drank, sipping once before gulping the rest with a grimace.

"It can't be healthy to down three of those a day, he pointed out, laying the bottle down on the table and quickly moving to gulp a mouthful of milk.

"No, it's not healthy to be in a situation where you need to down three of those a day," rejoined Trantus in a deep voice, to which the other laughed in reply again, and the ambivalent mood of earlier returned. Tilado changed his bandage, Makebu wincing at the sight of the ragged wound, but remaining silent. Jokes were made at Tahni's lack of clothing beyond her armour, to which she retorted that she seldom took even that off. Discussion ensued about the amassing Gerudo force at the border of the Western Mountains, and the plans for tomorrow's hunting, at which point Makebu became almost worryingly animated. It was in the midst of talk about Trantus' ensuing work at the Death Mountain Mines that the group was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"You could definitely stand to get a bit bigger, Trantus," pointed out Makebu, by this point leaning back on the content-looking Jopruin, and gesturing with one of the fingers of her cup-wielding hand. "You've got a ways to go before you can't fit in the Black Bubble's door, at any rate." This was met by more laughter, but it was cut short when a girl cleared her throat nervously at Tilado's left shoulder. Every eye at the table suddenly whipped around to fix on the short-haired youth, who was rendered temporarily speechless while the troupe took in her Hylian crest and official-looking parchment with clear misgiving. Every trace of tipsiness from before had suddenly and inexplicable vanished.

"Am… Am I correct in thinking that this is the mercenary troupe headed by a Miss Tahni?" the girl inquired, her querulous voice displaying clearly that she hoped that she wasn't.

"I am Tahni," replied the young knight, without moving from her laid-back position.

"Oh… In that case…" replied the young messenger, worrying the parchment with quivering hands. "…I am here to inform you that you have been d-drafted."

Although the news had been expected by each of them, not everyone was able to conceal their distress efficiently. Tilado leant back in his chair with a groan, and Makebu declared "Rot!" with a plaintive tone. The messenger seemed wholly taken back by the response, as her eyes bulged slightly and she gaped slightly before the green-haired Hylian spoke.

"Since when are Castle Messengers issued to give draft orders?" he inquired, peering at her from between the fingers fanned across his face in frustration.

"Uh… I am led to believe that you have been specifically requested for this mission by General Hup of the Hylian army," the blonde girl replied, her fingers creasing the parchment that she held without her realising it.

The group's attention was suddenly all the more intense. Personal requests were rare, especially from such high-ranking officials, and the collective minds of the five were suddenly racing to work out what they had done to deserve such attention, and what their prospective mission might be.

"I think… Uh, I mean… I am led to believe that your reason for being chosen is based on your bold and resourceful actions during the battle for Query River," continued the girl, answering at least one question. She was apparently spurred on by the group's silence. "Details on your mission are given in this parchment."

"Aren't you going to read it?" asked Tilado, after a significant pause.

"Oh! Oh, ah, they told me… I mean, I have not been cleared to open the briefing myself. It is for your eyes only. I have also been told to request that you do not open it unless in a secure area."

"There's nowhere more secure than the Black Bubble," replied Makebu, leaning across Jopruin to pull the scroll from the girl's trembling hands. The messenger suddenly glanced up and behind her, as though looking for the arrow slits and battlements which the bar must have held, before Tahni spoke again.

"Is that all, miss?" she asked, her attention quickly shifting to the unrolling manuscript.

"Uh, ah, I think… I believe so," she squeaked in reply.

"Then go away," commanded Makebu without looking at her. The girl hurried out without a pause, only stooping to pick up the trumpet which she had thankfully propped up next to the door upon entry.

The group leant over the unrolled manuscript, placing their cups on the outstretched corners to hold it I place while they took in the writing. After a short while, they leant back collectively, with noises varying from mild interest to outright distress.

"Query River! Why ever did we decide to take the initiative at Query River?" wailed Makebu, melodramatically placing the back of her hand on her forehead.

"Don't be selfish," chided Jopruin, glancing over the map that accompanied the briefing with his arm still around the female. "That battle was going badly. If we hadn't hit their supply route, Lake Hylia could have been lost by now." Makebu pouted briefly, before her expression became one of satisfied nostalgia.

"Ah, the looks on their stupid Freshie faces when we blew up that dam… It was a fun day," she proclaimed, as though her memory of the brutal skirmish ended with their opponents' chagrin. Trantus looked confused by the exchange, scratching idly at the space under his earhole.

"Uh, I must have joined after the Query River battle. What exactly happened, and why was it enough for the officials to take notice of us?" he asked, sipping at his now-cold spring water with a look of distaste.

"Well, uh, do you know the basics of what happened?" replied Tilado, leaning back. "It was only a couple of weeks ago…"

"I think I do," rumbled the Goron, putting down his drink and placing a hand on his square chin. "The rush to take control of the Riverbind river system ended with a skirmish between both forces at Query river, which splits to run down to Lake Hylia on one side, and the Zolan Lake Swell on the other. The battle began at the juncture itself, but due to the twin fronts of Zolan armies, coming simultaneously along Query River itself and the Swell tributary, the Zoran forces were gradually being pushed back. The river would likely have been irreversibly lost, had in not been for the resilience of the Zoran forces who held the advance at Palgresa point and the destruction of the nearby Zolan dam, I forget it's name, which cut off the Zolan supply route on one side. Query River proper was lost to The Legion, but an outpost was made at Palgresa Point, which even now holds Lake Hylia against further invasion."

This rather surprisingly succinct summary was met by silence, until Tilado cleared his throat and reminded everyone else to blink.

"That was, uh… Correct. Yes," he replied. "The dam was just called Lower Riverbind Dam by the Zola," he pointed out, to which Trantus nodded in recollection. "And the four who were responsible for its destruction… Well, I don't doubt that you've worked it out."

"It was a fine manoeuvre, if I may be so vain," stated Jopruin, gently closing Makebu's gaping mouth. "And although I can credit the idea as being my own, it was Tahni's excellent command and the courageous and skilled action of these two," here he gestured to the two that sat beside him, "Which ensured victory, and also that none of us were lost to the enemy."

"Impressive," murmured Trantus, gesturing to the busboy and evidently cataloguing this information for addition to his own archive of knowledge. "I'm surprised that I haven't heard of this in the time that I've been with you."

"Well, after the award presentation, we got a bit tired of talking about it," pointed out Tilado, offhandedly. "Still, we got paid triple, and the ensured safety of one of our side's most valued outposts was just gravy."

"We should have know that it would lead to something like this, really," sighed Jopruin, rubbing Makebu's left shoulder idly. "Battle skill is irrelevant, it's taking the initiative that gets you noticed."

"And how good we are at sneaking around, of course," supplemented the indigo-skinned girl. "Which now we get to do again, but on a better-guarded dam. I don't suppose we can refuse?"

"No such luck," replied Tilado with another sigh. "As fancy as it seems, it's as much a draft as anything else. Ignoring orders here would be treason, not to mention morally bankrupt."

Makebu made a raspberry noise, as though morality was of lesser importance, but Trantus' attention was drawn by something else, and it wasn't the new flagon of hot spring water that had been placed in front of him. "Are you quite alright, Tahni?" he asked, concern painted on his rocky features. "You haven't spoken in a while." Indeed, the group's leader had been fixated on the briefing and map since they had been laid out, not even taking in the subsequent conversation. She looked up now, somewhat disorientated, and caused Tilado to give a short laugh, although he was careful not to upset his jaw again.

"You shouldn't have interrupted her, Trantus, another couple of minutes and we'd have had a fully-formed battle plan." Tahni opened her mouth once, as though to reply, but then something clearly struck her and she returned to the manuscript. This elicited a giggle from Makebu, which in turn made Jopruin rap her on the head.

"Don't knock her. We did fine last time, but with the situation this time I'd much rather have a plan thought out well in advance. The enemy will have much greater numbers, here, and after the last time they'll most likely have tightened security on their dams… Not to mention the fact that it won't be near a war zone, so their forces won't be divided away from guarding," he pointed out. The Zora girl had leant back on his chest as he spoke, and after he finished she looked up into his face with an expression of deep concern.

"You're boring," she stated.

Tilado and Trantus laughed loudly at this, and the rest of the evening passed in relative normalcy, although all of them secretly nurtured some concern for what would transpire the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I'm quite eager to get some reviewing for this particular chapter, as that bit of emotionality at the end is something of a foot in new territory for me, and I'd be glad to see how it comes off to the people who get to read it from an objective viewpoint, i.e. You.

Credit goes to my French homework, for not being nearly interesting enough to distract me from writing this. And to you, the reader!

The sound of grinding, tearing rock echoed throughout the entirety of the mining shaft, which in itself spanned almost one hundred meters across and half that in height. The grinding sound came from the dozens of Gorons who were currently ploughing into the rock wall at the end of the tunnel. Techniques varied from punching and tearing the stones out with their bare or covered arms, to rolling forcefully towards the stones to try and drill through, to slamming into the rocks with shoulders and backs.

Watching from the viewing platform some halfway up the tunnel's wall, which had a tunnel of its own linking it to the mining lobby, the group couldn't pick out Trantus. They might well have been distracted by the earth-shattering, bone-shaking noise which the mining team were creating, or the vast clouds of dust that were being thrown up, but nonetheless they had set themselves to waiting around for their team-mate to finish with his work. Before long, though, each of them started to regret the decision.

"DAPHNES NOHANSEN HYRULE ON A DODONGO'S BACK, BUT IT IS LOUD IN HERE!" screamed Makebu over the roar of rending rocks, her hands clasped to her ears along with the others. The rest of the troupe seemed to glean her meaning from her high-pitched squeal, and turning around Tahni gestured with an elbow towards the exit, where they passed the chuckling Goron surveyor with scowls on their faces.

Slamming the huge iron door behind them, the four settled into the relative quiet of the adjoining tunnel, this one only a couple of meters in height and breadth. Moaning sounds of relief, they leant against the slightly warm and vibrating walls of the cavern and rubbed the dust from their eyes. The two Zora appeared to have suffered the most, as their kind wasn't suited to such dry environments, and as they stood there Jopruin incanted a spiritual chant, moving his arms in wave-like motions and bringing them together in a cupped circle where a pool of clear, pure water formed. Her released this over a grateful Makebu, who sighed and briefly glowed as though she had been submerged, before repeating the motion and doing the same for himself.

"Tell you what, guys," murmured Tilado, massaging the wounded left side of his jaw as he spoke. "I'm sure Trantus would appreciate that it's difficult for us to wait for him in a place like this," the other three now appeared to be hanging on his words covetously, as though waiting for him to give them an excuse to leave. "Do you think he would mind awfully if he met us at the hot springs?" Tahni and the Zoras barely waited for him to finish before replying with a chorus of affirmative answers, and quickly the group headed up the tunnel and back towards central Death Mountain.

Before long, the four of them were at the mountain's greatest attraction, the huge, relaxing hot spring. Makebu and Jopruin had discarded their garments without hesitation, and were now enjoying the pool's warm, enveloping water. Tilado hadn't taken much longer, stripping down to his leggings before entering the pool, but a somewhat abashed Tahni had fled to find a towel before she allowed herself into the healing heat.

"She needn't bother, really," murmured Tilado into the eerie silence of many bathing Gorons, most indistinguishable through the thick mist that sat on the water's surface. "Trantus'll be finished by midmorning, and then we have to set off for Lake Hylia if we want to get there in time to meet our contact.

"Ah… I'm in no hurry…" murmured Makebu in reply, earning herself a pinch from Jopruin, who was massaging her shoulders at that moment. Tilado sighed, but without agitation.

"We've been over this, guys," he said, in a tone that inclined that he had indeed been over it before. "Yes, it's a hassle, and probably dangerous to boot, but we'll be punished if we don't try, and if we get it right we'll be rewarded well. Really well. This is a critical mission, after all."

"And we're the only ones for the job," interrupted Makebu with a giggle, her fingers playing over the surface of the steamy water.

"Hmm… I'm not so sure of that…" interjected her partner, drawing a petulant frown from the petite Zora. "But the palace must think that we're the best people for it, if they're placing their trust in us, and paying us… What was it?"

"Three hundred each," replied Tilado, crooking an eyebrow as he sunk up to his neck in the water. "Is that really the part that you forgot? It's the only thing that's keeping me going." He appeared to consider that fact for a moment. "Well, and the fact that you guys are doing it. I couldn't leave you alone, now, could I?"

"Of course not," retorted Tahni, emerging from the cloying steam at the bath's edge to tentatively follow her testing toe into the water, one hand clutching the fluffy towel closed at her chest. "Without you, we're no better than four Chu Chus in a cactus patch."

"Well, at least you know it," replied Tilado, into the laughter that followed his admonishment. From then it was mainly subdued conversation as they took the waters, until Trantus arrived to complain that he couldn't bathe his raw knuckles before they set off.

From then, the five dressed, donned their armour and equipment, strapped on their various weapons and set off. The trek down Death Mountain Path was a quick one, although Makebu insisted that she would faint if they didn't stop at the miniature spring halfway down. Reaching Kakariko Village before long, the group said their quick goodbyes at the Black Bubble, before Tahni and Tilado took their horses out of the stable and they made their way to the western gate.

"Am I going ahead again?" Inquired Trantus calmly, glancing out between the stone walls that encircled the town and out across the broad expanse of Hyrule Field. He was in his battle garb now: two scaly gauntlets of bronze metal adorned his large hands, and he was currently strapping a large, steel hammer with spiral designs and a circular shield of matching design onto the saddlebags of the largest of the two horses. This seemed to be the extent of his armour, although when Tahni nodded in reply from the other side of the horse, he placed an ominous mask of seemingly gyrating red circles on his face, turning from the others to survey the path ahead.

Tahni herself only wore the armour that she had before, although a crescent headband with a star emblem now crossed her forehead. She was strapping her own weapon to the horses other side, a broad, dark-bladed zweihander with an ornate but resilient-looking hilt. Tilado and the two Zora seemed to have refrained from adding armour, although they all now carried weapons. A longbow in a recurve design and of roughly five feet length sat on the saddle behind Tilado, accompanied by a large quiver of green-feathered arrows which rested at his hip. Makebu's only weapon was a single, deadly-looking claw with two long, red blades which extended from the knuckles. It lay on her upper thigh as she received a kiss from Jopruin, who himself carried only a slender wand of roughly a foot's length, in colour blue so deep it was almost black.

"Ugh… This never gets any easier…" muttered Makebu as she climbed into the saddle in front of Tilado on his chestnut mare, Spalka.

"We meet a river about halfway there, so you can swim for that part," the Hylian reminded her, reaching around under her arms for the reins. He then nodded to Jopruin, who was climbing into place behind Tahni on her grey charger, Kissan. "Anyway, don't knock this set-up too much, it's how we all met. Don't you remember the battle at Bogrit Bridge?"

"I try not to," replied the Zora girl, as Trantus moved into a ball and began rolling forwards, preceding the others. "Keep those wandering hands of yours to yourself, Jo'!" she then shouted after Jopruin as he and Tahni followed the Goron. Biting back a laugh, Tilado clicked to his horse, urging her into a trot and then a gallop. The two quickly pursued the distant figure of Trantus and the closer one of Tahni, Jopruin and Kissan across Hyrule Field, and towards their destination, the distant Lake Hylia.

After a few minutes silent riding, Makebu struck up a conversation, but her tentative tone even above the sound of Spalka's hooves told Tilado that something was amiss.

"Um, Tila', your face… Does it hurt much?" she asked, not turning to face him as she gripped the pommel of the saddle.

"Not really…" he replied, curiously. "Much less since we used the hot springs." The Hylian paused for a second, thinking. "Is something wrong?" he then asked. "You know that flesh wounds aren't infectious, right?"

The Zora girl didn't laugh at this, causing Tilado further disquiet. Instead, she asked another question, her voice even quieter than last time.

"Don't you think it's odd that…" she began, before gaining some passion. "How is it that you could risk your life to save Tahni like that, and she hasn't said a single word of thanks to you since?"

The conversation paused again. Clearly Tilado wasn't much better off for a reason than his riding buddy. After a short period of silent thought, the green-haired male replied.

"You know, I asked Tahni about that myself, after we were back from Iceford." Makebu did turn now, and fixed Tilado with a gaze which he clearly found more than slightly disconcerting.

"Ah… I didn't make much of it, of course, just kind of jokingly asked if she hadn't been taught manners by her parents. Hah." Makebu's gaze didn't falter, and she showed no sign of amusement, so the Hylian pressed on. "She just said… I think she said that 'The battlefield is no place for giving thanks.' Which is true, really," he finished, flippantly, eyes fixed on the galloping horse in front of them.

"So, has she said thank you since the battle ended?" inquired the Zora, her gaze now slightly accusatory. Tilado's wordless reply pretty much answered the question for her, but before she could finally make the point that she'd been holding in since the Black Bubble, he cut across her.

"Let Tahni be. She's our friend first, but she was taught to be an emotionless commander on the battlefield. When the two overlap… It's no wonder she gets confused." He didn't meet her gaze while saying this, but after a bit longer staring at his face, she turned back to the horses' mane, granting him the opportunity to give a relieved but silent sigh.

They rode in silence for a bit longer, until after a while longer Makebu pointed at a structure that had appeared on the horizon, and spoke.

"Hey, is that Bogrit Bridge right there?" she asked, apparently not too aware of the surrounding geography.

"Don't be silly. That's Caduin bridge. If it was Bogrit, we'd be in Moblin territory." The young Zora gave a sniff at being chastised, but Tilado's attention was suddenly fixed on the bridge, and specifically a few figures that were moving away from it, onto Hyrule Field. "Who are they? Looks like about six of them…" he murmured, causing his companion to turn and squint at where he was looking.

"I can't see as well as you out of water. What can you see, monsters?" The last word was excited sounding, and she looked about to reach down and equip her claw.

"Not monsters. But too short for Hylians. Deku, maybe…" he murmured, mainly to himself, and narrowed his eyes. They were almost past the distant figures, now, and suddenly Tilado pulled hard on the reins and slowed his horse. "They're Legion," he proclaimed.

"Are you sure?" asked Makebu with a squeak, her eyes now fixing on the still distant figures.

"Positive. Three Moblins and three Lizal… No, two Lizalfos and a Gerudo. Call the others." It was pointless, as Tahni had already noted their absence, and called to Trantus before turning around herself. Shortly, the three rejoined Tilado and Makebu on the hilltop, where he gestured at the still-approaching interlopers.

"Legion soldiers," he reiterated. "They can't have taken the bridge with that force, and we'd have heard about it anyway. They probably snuck past somehow."

"What could they be thinking?" asked Tahni rhetorically, pulling a telescope from her saddlebags and peering through it at the enemy.

"Probably not an official raid, just a few idiots planning a daylight raid on Charris'. With the higher ground and the sun to our rear, I could bring them down easily before they get within range to hit us," the male Hylian suggested, reaching around behind him for his bow and fluidly drawing an arrow.

"Maybe we should try to capture them first, see what they have to say," advised Jopruin, eyes fixed on the intruders.

"I doubt they'll have any crucial information, and we are in something of a hurry," reminded Tilado, already drawing back and leaning out of the saddle so as not to constrict his draw space.

"White flag," murmured Tahni.

"What?!" exclaimed Tilado, not moving to drop his arrow. "They're surrendering?"

"They've got a white flag up, but they haven't slowed down. I can't see any weapons. Why would they sneak across the border just to give themselves up?"

The thought occurred to Trantus and Jopruin at the same time. "Defectors," they both murmured, although Jopruin's tone was more of a questioning one.

"It's possible," replied Tahni. "Or it could be a trap. Let's find out. _Put the damn bow down, Tilado._"

"We're in a hurry!" The male repeated in an irritated voice, lowering his bow and loosening the string.

"This won't slow us down by much," Tahni reassured him. "Right now, I'm more worried about whether or not they're just getting close enough to try and take us by surprise." The enemy soldiers, or possible defectors, were now drawing close enough for Tilado to see the whites of their eyes, and after quickly dismounting, Tahni called to them.

"Legion troops! Cease your advance and lay down your arms!" she cried out, her voice now the only thing that disturbed the wind-rustled plain. The six opponents were now climbing the hill, and slowed at her word, although they did not stop entirely. It was the Gerudo who spoke.

"We aren't carrying weapons!" she called back, her voice light, but somewhat hoarse, as though she was afraid or tired. Not a word was shared among the now-dismounted mercenaries at this reply, as none of them trusted the dark-skinned woman in the slightest. Tilado's hand moved down from the bandage that he had been stroking with a grimace, and drew another arrow to fit into his bow. He did not draw, though.

"In that case, stop your advance, and our mage will bind you to be taken in for questioning!" called back the knight, leaning lightly on her still-sheathed broadsword. The intruders finally stopped moving, but seemed displeased by the idea. The first Lizalfos, tallest of the group and the one bearing the flag, hissed something to the other five, to which one of the Moblins gave a grunted reply. A second squealed in what sounded like anger, but the Gerudo could be heard making a hushed "Wait!" sound, before she turned back to the mercenaries.

"Please try to understand! We have fled the army and crossed the border in order to defect from His Legion!"

"Then why not turn yourself in at the bridge?" demanded Trantus, his low voice carrying easily across the fifteen yards distance between the groups.

"We… We were worried that they would kill us without listening! We are willing to be taken in, and we will give information, but we only request to be treated as those blessed by the light!" The other five had evidently grown more and more disgruntled by their Gerudo companion's words, but at these last the short-snouted Moblin in the center of the group gave a harsh cry of something that sounded like "For this light," and drew a shortbow and arrow from seemingly nowhere. The arrow met the string of his bow, but got no further, as Tilado's arrow struck the piglike creature in the chest at that very moment.

This set off the others. With roars of fury, the two Lizalfos and the other two Moblins raced forwards, drawing crude weaponry and bellowing sounds of outrage. The Gerudo chased them, but her hands were still raised in surrender, and she made no move to draw a weapon. She appeared to be desperately calling to her comrades, as they met the mercenary force and attacked.

Trantus leapt forwards with surprising speed to meet the largest Lizalfos, who although surprised raised his jagged axe and gave a battle cry. With a swing of the spiral-printed hammer, though, the reptile man's weapon was destroyed with an oddly loud "Clang." This did not seem to phase him too much, and he quickly leapt forwards to counterattack with his bare claws. Meanwhile, the last remaining Moblin, the second having been felled by Tilado in the charge, attacked Tahni, who barely drew enough of her sword in time to stop the swing of his machete. While Jopruin completed his spell-motions, and two thick blades of amorphous liquid encased his forearms, Makebu and the other, sword-wielding Lizalfos circled each other with looks of grim delight on their faces.

As the two cautiously exchanged blows, the sound of a sickening crunch filled the air, signalling Trantus' victory over his opponent. Quickly afterwards the last Moblin was sent hurtling backwards from the unmarked Tahni with a squeal and a spray of black blood. While the remaining reptilian warrior seemed unabashed by the sounds of his comrades' death, though, the Gerudo whose actions had been halted by fear of the opposing warriors suddenly gave a tragic scream of defiance. Racing towards the distracted Makebu and drawing a curved dagger from her white shawl, the thief seemed intent on saving her last remaining comrade, with no heed paid to the other opponents.

It was her downfall. Calmly, Jopruin waved one of his water-encased arms, and a blade of scything liquid suddenly shot out to intercept the Gerudo woman. Striking her between her ribs, beneath her knife-wielding arm, the distracted warrior didn't see it until it hit her. Her tear-reddened eyes bulged in shock as the deadly strike lifted her of her feet and sent her crashing to the ground a metre away, the blade dissolved on impact.

The sight of his comrade's death had no effect on the still-fighting Lizalfos, though, and nor did her easily audible death rattle. He and Makebu continued to circle each other, occasionally delivering or deflecting the opponent's strikes. The others had all since finished with their respective battles, but they knew better than to interrupt the diminutive claw-wielder. She and her opponent both seemed completely fixated on each other, duelling for the sheer sake of duelling despite the outcome of the surrounding battle.

The last few strikes were close together. Still fixed on her opponent, Makebu apparently wasn't paying sufficient attention to her surroundings, as after a particularly savage attempt by the reptile, she took a step backwards and her heel struck the dead Gerudo's thigh, throwing her off-balance. Hissing in triumph at his opponent's surprised look, the Lizalfos leapt forwards, targeting her with a helm-splitting strike that would likely end the battle.

It did not succeed. A suddenly well-balanced Makebu brought her red-clawed weapon up, easily blocking the male's attack. Simultaneously, and while uttering a distressing giggle of delight, the Zora leapt forwards and brought her left forearm across before the opponent's chest in a hooking motion, her ulnal fin flashing suddenly. The lizard's eyes flickered in shock, and he did not move as Makebu skipped out from under his outstretched arms, dropping down to wipe her again-flaccid forearm fin on the grass.

She had already removed her claw, and hooked it at her thigh by the time the Lizalfos finally collapsed, his black sword still clutched in his clawed hands.

"That was a pretty dirty trick," reprimanded Jopruin, his second watery blade dissolving at his side, reassured as he now was that Makebu was no longer in danger. The others had already set about heaping and going through the dead's possessions.

"Eh. I was getting bored of it," she replied, casually. "He wasn't that bad, really, but he had a pretty weak arm for a Lizalfos." They moved to rejoin the others, as Tilado pointed out that some soldiers were approaching from the bridge, likely having heard or seen the conflict.

"76 rupees between them, and a bag with some bombs." pronounced Trantus, standing up. "Their weapons aren't worth accounting for, and they didn't have anything else on them."

"Not worth the effort, really," stated Makebu meaningfully, shaking her head at Tilado.

"Well sorry for paying attention to this little border tiff we're having," he rejoined, climbing back into the saddle. "Come on, we'd better hurry. The guards'll want to ask all sorts of questions, and we're already behind."

"Hey, I found something else!" proclaimed the Zora girl, stooping over the Gerudo's body that she had been using as a prop not too long ago. "Jewellery, by the looks of it." The others didn't pay much attention, and continued to prepare to leave once more, but Jopruin waited for her.

"Pfft," she pffted, tossing the necklace to him. "It's just a locket, silver I think. Got a picto of some guy in there. Probably her _boyfriend," _she intoned, mockingly, as she climbed up in front of Tilado again. But it wasn't her irreverence for the dead which stuck Jopruin to the ground, staring at the image of a human male inside the small ornament.

"Hey, I thought you didn't get male Gerudo," she pointed out to the Hylian as he set off at a canter after Trantus, oblivious to distant shouts of approaching soldiers.

"You don't," he replied, simply.

At Tahni's reminding call to him, Jopruin finally looked up from the locket. Tucking it into the pocket of his blue leggings, the male Zora gave a final glance to the Gerudo female as she lay beside her fallen allies, their eyes closed by Trantus' surprisingly gentle hands. He silently climbed into the saddle behind his commander, unseeing eyes fixed on the back of her head.

"Don't mention it!" Tahni called mockingly back to the soldiers as they set off, the dark stallion whinnying at the jabs of her spurs. Jopruin didn't hear her, nor the demanding cries of the soldiers behind them. As they moved after the others, though, he lifted his head and glanced around them, to the bridge on their right side and the farmland that stretched out to their left, as if by any chance he could spot the Hylian man in the locket. The man for whom she had fled the army, crossed the border with a group of barest acquaintances, and died.

Jopruin wiped a drop of residue water from his cheek as they moved on. To anyone else, it might have looked like he was crying.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: It's worth pointing out that my creation of "Lake Town," a town on the Zelda standard Lake Hylia, is mainly due to my desire to create a more realistic Zelda world. Namely, with more people in it. The world in general is bigger than it's portrayed in the games, but more so it is also more densely populated by people of every tribe. A town near to the biggest lake in sacred territory would be a necessity.

Also, Captain Tsuru is introduced! Yay! Count on her getting her own story after I'm done with this one. 'Cause I love her, the self-centred drunk that she is.

--STORY BEGIN--

Lake Hylia at day was known to be a stunning sight. The expanse of clearest water, its rippling waves fracturing the reflected sunlight and scattering it like diamonds on azure silk; the central spire of Zora Outpost constantly casting a rainbow with its magically misty shield; the specks of fishing boats floating across the surface only serving as distant reminders that the dreamlike panorama of light and water could truly exist in the world…

All things considered, it was quite unfortunate that the group reached it as the sun had just set. Tahni and Tilado were now alone on their horses, as Jopruin and Makebu had both swum the last half of the journey in the waters of Channis river. They all stopped now, though, as the river was interrupted by the large, ever-turning waterwheel of Lake Town. The two Zora suddenly shot out of the water, both hitting the ground and rolling smoothly as the faint luminescence faded from their bodies. Trantus unrolled as the two Hylians dismounted, and together, the five moved towards the tall, closed gate. This door was joined on either side as it was by the broad, stone walls of the town, the only entrance by land into the heavily guarded place. A guard tower stood next to the gate, a single window some twenty feet up illuminated but empty.

"Hey, let us in!" shouted Makebu, her hands cupped around her mouth for added distance. When, after a significant pause, no response came, she repeated the cry. The result was the same.

"I had heard that Lake Town closes its gate at nightfall, but I assumed that they'd make an exception for us…" murmured the Goron, stroking his straight-edged jaw. Tahni had already pulled the brief from her satchel, and was checking it over hurriedly.

"Yes, we were told to arrive at Lake Town entrance, after nightfall," she confirmed, only adding to the overall confusion. "It makes no mention of curfew or security measures."

"You'd think that the royal army would be a bit more organised, wouldn't you?" posed Tilado, staring up at the top of the wall reflectively.

"Yes, sorry about that," came a voice from behind them.

The five whirled, hands leaping to weapons, aside from Jopruin, who was quickly entering the forms to create a shield of water.

"I'm sorry for startling you," apologised the figure, hurriedly raising her white palms to calm the mercenaries. She was a Hylian, and female. The moon, gibbous and bright, shone down and gave a mysterious half-clarity to her features. Her dark hair, unbound and waist-length, shone straight and sleek, and almost seemed to amplify the moon's glow. Her face was pale and unlined, oval in shape, with exotically tilted eyes. The unnamed woman wore a kimono, wide in sleeve and berth, but tightly bound around her midriff by a silken scarf. The garb was white, yellow and blue in colour, and bore the emblem of the Sacred Army on the breast. It was this that informed the wide-eyed Tahni of the woman's identity.

"Captain Tsuru, of the Sacred Army!" she half-greeted, half-exclaimed, her voice breathy. A smile flitted across the woman's face.

"Indeed I am," she verified, as the mercenaries collectively sheathed or holstered their weapons. "But I fear you are confused, my lady. In greeting, it is generally accepted as being more polite to give one's own name."

Makebu snorted at this, and Tahni seemed abashed, but the three males still seemed to wary of the newcomer to give any evident reaction. The captain seemed to notice this, but did not say anything.

"I apologise," Tahni finally said. "As I'm sure you know, I am Miss Tahni, the mercenary, and this is my entourage." The others were somewhat surprised by this choice of terminology, although they said nothing. The only time that Tahni referred to them as her subordinates was when she was trying to impress someone. Clearly, the knight had some level of respect for this officer, and it likely wasn't because of her title.

"Yes, I am aware of who you are," Tsuru replied, with a hint of amusement in her voice. "And, as you have stated, I am Captain Tsuru of the Sacred Army. I am your contact here."

"Why?" asked Tilado bluntly, breaking his erstwhile silence. The Captain, and his own commander, turned to him with amusement now sorely missing from their features.

"I'm not sure that I understand your question, uh…" Tsuru tailed off, the question evident.

"Tilado. Tahni's second in command," fabricated the green-haired Hylian. Tahni herself stood in stony silence, clearly desiring to rebuke this self-proclaimed title but fighting the urge.

"I was asking why you, a Captain of worldly renown, is meeting up with us, a third-rate mercenary troupe in the castle's eyes, to brief us for a mission which is probably quite absent from the army's list of priorities," Tilado reeled off, his eyes fixed to the Captain's with a fierce electricity evidently sparking between the two. "And furthermore, why are you alone? This is Sacred territory, granted, but we've recently witnessed the fact that the established borders don't necessarily dictate threat levels, and you yourself have to be among the most important ranking officers in her Majesty's army. Do you not think it a little irresponsible to place yourself in such danger?"

The dark-haired woman stood, her face once more serenely amused, and took in this wealth of questions. As Tilado spoke the group, by varying degrees, turned from him to look at the Captain, clearly anticipating the answers to these questions. As he finished, she smiled at all of them in turn.

"Come now. Do you really think…" she began. Then there was a whisper of silk

"…That I am the one who is in danger?" she finished, from behind Tilado. A katana, drawn seemingly from nowhere, was held lightly in her hand, the blade resting across the shocked male's throat. Her other hand held a sheath of yellow and violet-painted wood, from which the blade had clearly just been drawn. Her face was now veiled in the shadow of the wall, obscuring her expression, but her tone was still one of light-hearted casualness.

"Rest assured, my good mercenaries, I never put myself in any undue risk. As for the rest… I will give explanation, once you meet me inside these walls," she told them, not moving her blade, or her body. After saying this, though, she flicked her head up, to rest her eyes on the Hylian male's right hand. The hand which gripped, steadily, the shaft of one of his arrows, as it had since she had disappeared.

"Commendable speed…" she murmured, her mouth now at his ear. The others of the group had not moved beyond turning their heads, either because they believed her not to be threatening their comrade, or because they feared that she would cut his throat if they did. "I beg you, let me see that skill in use. Come inside Lake Town, and meet me at the Whirlpool Tavern. Before midnight, if you would, as afterwards you might find me indisposed."

At that, the blade no longer rested on Tilado's jugular, and the mysterious woman stood half obscured in the shadows of the wall. The five moved now, turning to face the woman, but none drew weapons. Trantus did, however, speak.

"Hold. If you will not open the gate, how will we get inside the town?" he asked, his low voice rumbling.

The woman paused, her expression indistinguishable. When she spoke, it was with a laugh in her voice.

"Why, what are we paying you for?" she asked simply, before she skipped backwards and disappeared from sight entirely. All five knew, at once, that chasing her would prove useless.

"A test," stated Jopruin, into the ensuing silence. "She's testing our abilities. Natural, I suppose, as we've never been seen in action by any form of credible witness. They'll want to know for sure that their hired swords are sharp."

"By seeing if we can break into Lake Town? This is barely a challenge," stated Makebu, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The waterside can't be so easily guarded as this wall, after all."

"Don't be so sure," grumbled Trantus. "The wall covers about half of it, and the other half is studiously guarded, with a watchtower in the centre of the dock for that very purpose."

"Perhaps. But remember, this is a town, not some military outpost. Any defence will be purely concerned with keeping out invading armies, not individuals," reminded Tilado, his prior encounter apparently now forgotten. "I know you won't like it, Tahni, but… Perhaps splitting up would be best, in this situation?"

The commander stood in silence, as the other four waited for her reply. Finally, she glanced over the four of them, and cleared her throat.

"See you on the other side," she proclaimed. Simultaneously, all five disappeared into the darkness, although Trantus was followed by the echoing of his heavy footsteps.

Tahni hurried, her footsteps padded by the foot grass beneath, around towards the river that the group had followed previously. A cloud had passed over the moon, but in the darkness the trickling of the water was clear, as was the sound of heavy wood creaking and splashing in the water not far ahead. The Lake Town waterwheel. The knight's mind had flown to the structure as soon as Tilado had made his point about the town not being defended against individuals. After all, what such installation would make have such a large lifeline undefended?

Thankfully, the moon was soon uncovered by the cloud, exposing the revolving wheel to her, as it gyrated like some great, amphibious beast turning in its sleep. The knight hurried forwards, examining the structure and where it connected to the wall. An opportunity soon presented itself, in the form of an open window above the wheel's axle. But even that stood at roughly fifteen feet in the air. It would be risky, leaping around a deep river in her armour, but the redhead would have to make use of the wheel itself to propel her upwards. Naturally, at no point did the possibility of removing her armour present itself to her.

Standing back, the knight hesitated for a second, adjusting the greatsword that she had just taken off of Kissan so that it hung less rigidly on her back. Timing her leap exactly, she jumped and landed feet-first on the slick wood as it rose out of the water, quickly dropping to dig her gauntleted hands into it and stop her from falling off. As the paddle rose and tilted, she scrabbled her way up the rising incline to grip the edge, slowly hoisting herself onto the narrow surface as the paddle she was on approached the apex. Once more, she timed her movement carefully, hoisting herself on to the edge entirely and leaping from it towards the building. Tahni's feet struck the slowly-turning axle together, as she had planned. However, she then slipped on the unexpectedly slippery log, her feet sliding out from under her and sending her into a fall that would have proved, for a man, highly unfortunate. An embarrassingly audible "clang" rang out into the night.

"It's probably best that no-one saw that," murmured Tahni to herself as she hastily scrabbled onto the sill of the window that she had been aiming for, abandoning the waterwheel without regret. The window itself was mercifully open, and revealing a darkened room from which the steady creaking of wood emanated. Tahni pulled herself inside, the padded feet of her boots striking the dingy floor as she surveyed her point of entry. Only crates and white sacks populated it, all reeking with the scent of mildly stale flour. It wasn't the season for corn grinding, so the knight hoped privately that the mill would be empty of people this night.

Moving to the door, Tahni pressed her ear to it briefly, then opened it and passed through when silence greeted her. She found herself in the main room, now, the grinding stone in the centre connected to the waterwheel's long axle, both steadily turning. What the knight hadn't expected was the presence of people, two of the to be exact, an elderly Goron and a long-limbed Deku with a head wreathed in pinkish vines. They were both seated on the floor, the darkness around them broken by a bottle of blue fire which flickered and glowed despite an apparent lack of fuel. Unfortunately, their seat was directly next to the only apparent ladder leading down onto the ground floor from Tahni's current position, and more unfortunately the Deku appeared to have heard her come through the door. Both figures now squinted up into the darkness that hid the redhead, their conversation halted.

Tahni didn't wait for them to investigate. Another exit had presented itself to her, in the form of a ladder leading upwards into the gloom, its destination a trapdoor onto the roof which could be made out by the dim light filtering between its boards. She hurried towards it, paying little attention to the sound her padded soles made, despite the growing worry of the two figures below. It made little difference; By the time the Deku youth had decided to scale the ladder to the landing, Tahni was halfway up the one to the roof, and by the time they had realised that, the trapdoor was open and the woman was disappearing into the cool, night air.

Finding herself atop the blue-tiled roof of the mill, the darkened streets of Lake Town spread out before her, Tahni allowed herself a small grin of satisfaction. Captain Tsuru's challenge was almost complete, and she'd barely broken a sweat. Now she just had to think of a safe way down to ground level, when she was wearing enough armour to immobilise a water-bound Zora. Fortunately, as the Deku was doubtless soon to reach the roof's trapdoor, contemplation of the dilemma didn't take long.

Reaching inside her hip satchel, the knight felt around for a while before finding what she was looking for. She withdrew, in a gauntleted hand, a silvery egg-like object with a feather insignia. Moving to the edge of the roof, and counting on the cloudy night sky to obscure her from the inquisitive eyes of those below, she held the object above her head. Then, with a liquid-sounding crunch, she closed her fingers over it and crushed it. There was a brief splutter of silvery light, then the object activated completely.

A silvery, ethereal being in the shape of a Cucco took form above Tahni where the egg had been, its talons held in her gauntlet grasp. The thing was indistinct, but this apparently didn't phase her, as after a moment adjusting her direction she leant forwards and stepped off of the roof.

The item supported her with ease, lessening her falling speed to a gentle descent which brought her gradually closer to the darkened alley which she had targeted as her landing point. As she passed into the darkened cleft between the two buildings opposite the mill, she released the bird-thing, which disappeared into a puff of silver feathers instantly. Dropping the last yard onto her feet, the knight quickly set off out into the street, now on the home strait.

"Now… What was that bar called?"


End file.
